It requires only an elementary understanding of centrifugal force to realize that any snow chain including one or more chain or cord elements disposed across the tread surface of the tire in a substantially perpendicular angle thereto is bound to create pounding and noise, which damages the road surface as well as the automobile tire and irritates the driver and passengers. Even at only moderately high speeds, the elements of the snow chain disposed across the tread surface of the tire float away from the tread surface of the tire because of the centrifugal force and impact on the road surface when the floating elements of the snow chain are brought down to the road surface by the rotating automobile wheel. There is only one remedy for this destructive and aggravating problem existing with all of the present day snow chains, that is to eliminate all elements in the snow chain disposed across the tread surface of the tire. The construction of a snow chain that does not include any element disposed across the tread surface of the tire in a substantially perpendicular angle has been invented by the inventor of the present invention and was disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,304,280 and 4,261,404, wherein the construction of the continuous snow chain including all elements disposed in shallow oblique angles with respect to the circumferential direction of the tread surface of the tire is taught. The elements of the continuous snow chain arranged in the aforementioned way also float because of centrifugal force. However, those elements of the continuous snow chain floated by centrifugal force do not impact on the road surface, bounce back and impact on the tire because they become continuously squeezed between the road surface and the tread surface of the tire as the floating element of the snow chain is brought down to the road surface by virtue of all elements of the continuous snow chain disposed substantially in the circumferential direction of the tread surface of the tire instead of thereacross as in the case of the conventional snow chain. For this reason, the continuous snow chain provides a much higher high speed capability and a more quiet ride compared with any conventional snow chain while providing equal or even better traction on snow as well as on ice. One serious problem with the continuous snow chain is the difficulty involved in installing the continuous snow chain on an automobile tire, when the continuous snow chain is constructed in a closed loop configuration.
The primary object of the present invention is to provide a continuous snow chain that is easy to install on and to take off from an automobile tire.
Another object is to provide a continuous snow chain comprising a segment of network of cords or chains of finite length that is converted to a closed loop by a linking cord or chain disposed in zig-zag pattern that connects two extremities of the network of cords or chains and converts it into a closed loop configuration as the linking cord or chain is routed through the diamond-shaped openings disposed at two extremities of the network of cords or chains.
A further object is to provide a continuous snow chain including a pair of retaining cords respectively retaining and contracting two end openings of the network of cords or chains arranged in a closed loop by means of the linking cord or chain in retaining the continuous snow chain as disposed around the tire following the tread surface thereof.
Yet another object is to provide a continuous snow chain that allows an automobile to be driven at high speeds without creating damage to the road surface or to the automobile.
Yet a further object is to provide a continuous snow chain that does not create high levels of noise.
These and other objects of the present invention will become clear as the description thereof proceeds.